Arrangement for plate-shaped piezoactuators and method for the manufacture thereof

Abstract

In a method and apparatus for producing an ink jet printer head composed of a number of stacked modules, a piezoactuator plate is formed by metallizing opposite major faces of a plate of piezoelectric material, while leaving an unmetallized stripe on one of said major faces, thereby separating the metallization on that major face into two regions. A side face of the piezoelectric plate is also metallized, the side face extending substantially parallel to the unmetallized stripe, thereby electrically connecting one of the metallized regions on one major face to the metallized layer on the opposite major face. The metallized piezoelectric plate is then structured so as to produce a number of side-by-side piezoactuators therein, each piezoactuator having first and second electrodes formed by the respective metallization on the opposite sides of the plate. Respective electrical leads for the two electrodes of each piezoactuator can be electrically contacted to the same side of the plate, i.e. the side having the non-metallized stripe thereon.

We claim as our invention: 
     
       1. In an ink jet printer head having a plurality of stacked modules, including a piezoactuator plate having a plurality of piezoactuators disposed on a diaphragm plate in registry with respective ink chambers each piezoactuator or having first and second electrodes with piezoelectric material disposed therebetween, and each piezoactuator further having first and second electrical leads respectively connected to said first and second electrodes, the improvement of said piezoactuator plate comprising: a plate of piezoelectric material having first and second opposed major faces and a side face disposed between said major faces;   a metallized layer on said first major face substantially coextensive with said first major face except for a non-metallized stripe extending substantially parallel to said side face and dividing said metallized layer on said first major face into a first region and a second region electrically separated from each other;   a metallized layer on said second major face substantially coextensive with said second major face;   a metallized layer on said side face electrically connecting said metallized layer on said second major face and said second region of said metallized layer on said first major face;   a plurality of recesses, disposed substantially perpendicularly to said non-metallized stripe, extending through said first region of said metallized layer on said first major face and partially through said piezoelectric plate with a plurality of piezoactuators respectively disposed between said recesses, each piezoactuator having a first electrode formed by a portion of said first region of said metallized layer and a second electrode formed by a portion of said metallized layer on said second major face in registry with said portion of said first region of said metallized layer on said first major face, and said second region of said metallized layer on said first major face providing an electrical contact for said second electrode on said first major face.   
     
     
       2. In an ink jet printer head having a plurality of stacked modules, including a piezoactuator plate having a plurality of piezoactuators disposed on a diaphragm plate in registry with respective ink chambers each piezoactuator having first and second electrodes with piezoelectric material disposed therebetween, and each piezoactuator further having first and second electrical leads respectively connected to said first and second electrodes, the improvement of said piezoactuator plate comprising: a plate of piezoelectric material having first and second opposed major faces and a side face disposed between said major faces;   a metallized layer on said first major face substantially coextensive with said first major face except for a non-metallized stripe extending substantially parallel to said side face and dividing said metallized layer on said first major face into a first region and a second region electrically separated from each other;   a metallized layer on said second major face substantially coextensive with said second major face;   a metallized layer on said side face electrically connecting said metallized layer on said second major face and said second region of said metallized layer on said first major face;   a plurality of recesses, disposed substantially parallel to said non-metallized stripe, extending through said first region of said metallized layer on said first major face and partially through said piezoelectric plate with a plurality of piezoactuators respectively disposed between said recesses, each piezoactuator having a first electrode formed by a portion of said first region of said metallized layer and a second electrode formed by a portion of said metallized layer on said second major face in registry with said portion of said first region of said metallized layer on said first major face, and said second region of said metallized layer on said first major face providing an electrical contact for said second electrode on said first major face.